Holeeeee Zuffenhausen. Did Porsche really build this thing, or did a comet crash into the back of a red 911?

On our first lap out in the Carrera GT, we knew the double-century mark was going down big-time. The digital speedo was showing 186 mph on the back straight, and the Carrera GT was still accelerating like it had fallen off a cliff. What kind of velocities was Herta going to reach in this animal?

Well-outfitted cabin includes leather, fine audio, navigation, even system to use personal cell-phone hands-free.

We didn't wait long. Herta went out, immediately clocked two awesome laps, then returned to the pits to announce he'd gone as fast as he could go. "Really nice," he beamed. "Very quick and stable in the corners, the steering is tight, my comfort level was really high. Driving this one fast was easy." The computers backed up Herta's confidence level, revealing that he'd sailed through the banking at more than 185 mph before topping out at 201.5 mph at the end of the straightaway. "On a longer straight, I'm sure the Porsche would've given us a bit more," Herta added. "It was still climbing ever so slightly." Asked how close he'd come to the corner before he'd finally had to hit the brakes, Herta laughed. "I shut down when I got scared."In many ways--steering precision, chassis composure, braking power, build quality--the Carrera GT is pure Porsche. In others, though, this flamboyant, two-seat targa (two roof panels pop out and stow under the front hood) feels decidedly un-German. Maybe even--dare we say it?--Italian.

There's that electrifying V-10 engine, for instance. When have we ever heard such wild, searing screams from a Porsche powerplant before? Built with a 68-degree angle, the all-aluminum V-10 displaces 5.7 liters, breathes through four valves per cylinder, and pressurizes the fuel and air in its cylinders like a high-octane espresso machine (compression ratio is a race car-like 12.0:1). A large bore/short stroke design helps the engine spin to a sizzling 8400-rpm redline. All this mechanical wonderfulness produces an astounding 605 naturally aspirated horsepower at 8000 rpm. With 435 pound-feet, the Porsche trails the group in torque output.